Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts pulls out of US tour dates after undergoing medical procedure

Charlie will likely not perform at any of the dates (Picture: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for The Rolling Stones)

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts is unlikely to play the band’s US tour after undergoing a medical procedure.

The 80-year-old’s reps confirmed that he had a ‘completely successful’ procedure, but now ‘needs proper rest and recuperation’, adding: ‘With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.’

Steve Jordan will now stand in for Watts until he recovers.

The North American leg of the Rolling Stones’ No Filter tour had been rescheduled from 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and is set to kick off in St Louis, Missouri, on September 26.

Watts said in a statement: ‘For once my timing has been a little off.

‘I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while.

‘After all the fans’ suffering caused by Covid I really do not want the many RS fans who have been holding tickets for this tour to be disappointed by another postponement or cancellation. I have therefore asked my great friend Steve Jordan to stand in for me.’

Watts’ procedure was ‘completely successful’ (Picture: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Jordan said: ‘It is an absolute honour and a privilege to be Charlie’s understudy and I am looking forward to rehearsing with Mick, Keith and Ronnie. 

‘No one will be happier than me to give up my seat on the drum-riser as soon as Charlie tells me he is good to go.’

It was not confirmed what medical procedure Watts underwent.

The drummer, who joined the Rolling Stones officially in 1963, underwent radiotherapy in 2004 after being diagnosed with throat cancer, which went into remission. 

Considered to be one of rock music’s greatest drummers, Watts is known for having a quieter and more laidback persona than his bandmates, having remained faithful to his wife Shirley throughout the Stones’ heyday and having a calmer presence on stage. 

More: Rolling Stones

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Jordan will complete the North American leg of the No Filter tour from next month, playing dates in St Louis, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Nashville, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Tampa, Dallas, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Detroit, before the tour ends on November 20 in Austin, Texas.

The No Filter tour began back in September 2017 in Germany, with dates across Europe and the United States between then and 2019. 

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